Y’all know I’m not a conspiracy guy and rarely spend time in this column discussing perceptions that the NFL wants certain teams to win through lopsided officiating or disciplinary action. And I say that writing about a team on the wrong side of the biggest penalty discrepancy in the NFL over the last four years. I say that because psychologically, slights against our favorite team are much stickier in our brains than slights against their opponents, and we’re much more likely to fixate on them. This makes us feel like our team is being targeted when in reality, it’s probably not nearly as lopsided as it feels.
Cigar Thoughts, Game 14: Bad calls, bad offense, bad vibes put an end to Seahawks’ playoff hopes
